61591

Purpose and rationale of the Qualification

The purpose of the qualification is to build the knowledge and skills required by learners in End User Computing. It is intended to empower learners to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to operate confidently in the End User Computing environment in the South African community and to respond to the challenges of the economic environment.

The qualification addresses the need in the workplace for nationally recognised qualifications, based on unit standards, which will allow learners with workplace experience in End User Computing to obtain recognition for prior learning.

The qualification provides a framework for learners to develop skills that will enable them to become competent in End User Computing. It introduces theoretical concepts of End User Computing and requires the application thereof, to develop a range of skills that will enable learners to be better-informed workers in their chosen industry. It provides a balanced learning experience that lays the foundation for access to further education, lifelong learning and to productive employment.

A qualifying learner will be able to:

Competently apply the knowledge, techniques & skills of End User Computing applications in the workplace.

Understand the impact and use Information Communication & Technology (ICT) in an organisation and society.

Improve the application of mathematical literacy in the workplace, by better utilising applicable End User Computing Applications

The National Certificate in IT: End User Computing at NQF Level 3, is intended for learners already employed or new learners entering the workplace, requiring End User Computing skills. The unit standards of this qualification may be added to other industry qualifications to provide an End User Computing focus with comparison, choice, interpretation and the application of knowledge.

Rationale of the qualification

The National Certificate in IT: End User Computing - NQF Level 3, is designed to meet the needs of learners who require end user computing skills in all sectors of the economy, as End User Computing is an essential skill in any business today. The qualification is designed to accommodate both learners in formal education and learners already employed. It aims to develop informed and skilled learners that can apply the acquired skills in any industry and should contribute towards improved productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

The need for the qualification was highlighted by an IT sector study that was done and confirmed by ISETT SETA. The design of the qualification is unit standard based, to allow learners to qualify for a national qualification by accumulating the required credits via short learning programmes or workplace practical experience or both. It also allows learners to achieve the qualifications through recognition of prior learning, learner ships schemes or formal training.

The qualification at this level is foundational and generic, allowing maximum mobility between qualifications. Apart from the workplace needs the qualification will address, it is also designed as an entry-level qualification into most further education and training fields, because of the wide application of End User Computing in any environment. It will allow articulation into further qualifications in End User Computing or other IT qualifications, as well as entry into any other Further Education and Training where End User Computing is required.

Benefits... you can receive:

Our unique mentoring programputs Skillspro Regional managers on site to give hands-on assistance. Skillspro Regional Managers establish a valuable, ongoing relationship with clients. They are an important part of a comprehensive training structure to ensure that technology is integrated, now and in the future. Ongoing trainingonce a term enables teachers to ask questions firsthand and receive direct, immediate feedback. Online assistance at our support centreis only a computer screen away at all times.

Comprehensive lessons and templates eliminate the need for extensive research.

Step-by-step directions for instruction totally eliminate the need for hours of preparation.

It is assumed that the learner is competent in skills gained at the further education and training band up to NQF level 2. Further learning assumed is that learners are competent in End User Computing at NQF level 1.

Rules regarding Electives A minimum of 27 elective credits needs to be completed out of one of the elective specialisation fields listed.
Additional standards from any other SAQA field or sub-field may be added to the listed electives.

Improve the application of mathematical literacy in the workplace, by better utilising End User Computing Applications.

Demonstrate an understanding of the use of Information Communications & Technology (ICT) in an organisation & the impact it has on societies.

In addition to the above, unit standards will be utilized to provide depth of specification of the outcomes ranges and the assessment criteria and processes.

Associated assessment criteria

The ability to apply word processing skills in a GUI-based application is demonstrated by being able to do the following:

Create, edit and format documents

Enhance document appearance and to create merged documents

The ability to apply presentation skills in a GUI-based application is demonstrated by being able to do the following:

Create and edit slide presentations

Produce a presentation for a specific purpose

Enhance the appearance of a presentation

The ability to apply spreadsheet skills in a GUI-based application, is demonstrated by being able to do the following:

Create and edit spreadsheets

Solve a given problem by using a spreadsheet

Enhance the functionality of a spreadsheet & apply graphs/charts

The ability to apply electronic mail (email) skills in a GUI-based application is demonstrated by being able to do the following:

Send & receive E-mail messages

Enhance, edit & organise E-mail messages

The ability to apply Web Browser skills in a GUI-based application, is demonstrated by being able to use a web-browser to search and use information from the internet.

Improved Communication is demonstrated by combining End User Computing skills with fundamental communicating skills when communicating to others.

Demonstrate an improvement of mathematical literacy by utilising End User Computing applications to solve various aspects of personal life and in areas of business.

An understanding of impact of ICT and its use in an organisation is demonstrated by explaining its use and impact related to business and societies.

Furthermore, the assessment process should also cover the following generic components:

Measure the quality of the observed practical performance as well as the theory and underlying knowledge;

Use methods that are varied to allow the learner to display thinking and decision making in the demonstration of practical performance;

Maintain a balance between practical performance and theoretical assessment methods to ensure each is measured in accordance with the level of the qualification; and

Ensure that the relationship between practice and theory is not fixed but varies according to the outcomes being assessed.

International Comparability

This qualification and unit standards have been evaluated against, and are comparable to core knowledge and specialised knowledge elements found in the following International Qualifications Frameworks:

New Zealand NQF,

Australian NQF,

British NVQs.

Furthermore input to the development of the qualification has been benchmarked against International sources, where the outcomes and assessment criteria, degree of difficulty and notional learning time has been compared, as described below.

For the core skills required, the following sources were referenced:

International certifications like Microsoft MOUS, IC3 and ECDL/ICDL,

We also confirmed that the above certifications are used in many African and SADC countries as benchmark for End User Computing skills in a business environment. Countries referred to include, but are not limited to: Mauritius, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia

For constructing the qualification structure, the following sources were referenced:

NCC Education`s International Certificate in Computer Studies for IT Professionals,

Various local short learning programs were also referenced to determine the local demand and structure of the qualification

This qualification combines the NQF principles and requirements, with Internationally accepted Knowledge Areas required in End User Computing, to address the specific needs of the South African environment.

US

Old US

Description

Level

Credits

7456

Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business and national issues

3

5

9010

Demonstrate an understanding of the use of different number bases and measurement units and an awareness of error in the context of relevant calculations

3

2

9012

Investigate life and work related problems using data and probabilities

3

5

9013

Describe, apply, analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts

3

4

13915

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS in a workplace, and its effects on a business sub-sector, own organization and a specific workplace

3

2

14912

Investigate the use of computer technology in an organization

3

6

14913

Explain the principles of computer networks

3

5

14918

Describe the principles of Computer Programming

3

5

110023

Present information in report format

4

6

114076

Use computer technology to research a computer topic

4

3

115391

Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the internet and the world wide web

4

3

116930

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based presentation application to enhance presentation appearance

3

5

116931

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based web-browser to search the Internet

2

4

116935

Enhanced, edit and organise electronic messages using GUI based application

2

2

116936

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based database application to work with simple databases

3

3

116937

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based spread sheet application to create and edit spread sheets

2

4

116938

Use a Graphical User Interface(GUI)-based word-processor application to create and edit documents

1

4

116940

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based spread sheet application to solve a given problem

3

6

116942

Use a GUI based word processor to create merged documents

3

3

116943

Using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based spread sheet application, enhance the functionality and apply graph / charts to a spread sheet

4

3

116945

Use electronic mail to send and receive messages

2

2

117923

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based presentation application to prepare and produce a presentation according to a given brief

2

5

117924

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based word processor to format documents

2

5

117925

Describe the concepts of information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the use of its components in a healthy and safe manner

2

3

117927

Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based database application to solve a given problem